If Winter Ends
by killhilvolume2
Summary: A fic based off of the novel Maurice by E.M. Forster. Maurice and Alec on ice.


**If Winter Ends**

**Maurice starred out at the frozen lake in a daze. The hour was early and the cold was almost unbearable, despite the multiple layers of clothing that covered him. He wondered how long he had been standing there, a good twenty minutes at least, and then wondered what in God's name was taking so long. Surely it doesn't a person that long to get out of bed and get dressed? He thought**** only to remember that the person who kept him waiting could be unbelievably sluggish at times.**

**A few more minutes passed and Maurice started to worry. He was going to give Alec two more min-**

**His thoughts were interrupted by a weight pressing down on his left shoulder, and two arms wrapping around his waist tightly. **

**"Why did you ****git**** me so early for Maurice?" he heard Alec say sleepily, following it up with a long yawn. "You keep me up all night, you wore me out, and then you drag me out of a nice warm bed into the freezing cold."**

**Maurice chuckled and gently pulled away from him so that he could grab two boxes that were sitting by his feet. He handed one to Alec who just looked at it puzzled.**

**"****open**** it" Maurice said smiling warmly at his sleepy lover who obeyed and slowly opened it. Inside Alec found a new pair of leather ice skates, just for him. ****Alec looked at Maurice with so much love and warmth, that it could have melt the snow from right under their feet. It was not the gift itself that moved Alec, but it was because it was from Maurice, who had already given him so much, and yet still strived to give him more than he needed. "The reason I went out into town yesterday was to buy these, as well as a pair for myself"**

**Alec reached his hand out to touch Maurice's face and when his warm fingers pressed down on his left cheek, it sent waves of heat throughout Maurice's body. ****then**** a thought struck Alec.**

**"Um Maurice, I ****dunno**** how to skate on ****ice****." he said a little ashamed. He always figured to was never something a person needed to know how to do, and was just a form of amusement for the upper classes during the winter, but now Maurice had gone out of his way to buy him Ice skates and he didn't know how to use them.**

**Maurice, who could sense his lovers uneasiness, gave him a sweet smile. "That's not a problem. I will teach you." he said and gave Alec a quick kiss on the lips. ****" Come**** on let's put our skates on."**

**They sat down on a giant tree stump right next to the lake, which had been part of the first tree they had ever cut down together, and put their skates on quickly. Once they had them on Maurice took Alec's hand and guided him towards the frozen lake slowly. He carefully stepped onto the lake while maintaining his balance without much hesitation, then took Alec's other hand ****and helped him on the ice. Alec, whose legs were wobbling as he tried to find some sort of balance, squeezed Maurice's hands tightly with his own, and Maurice didn't quite know where to begin at first. **

**It was strange being in the position of the teacher for once. For the past few months it had been Alec teaching Maurice how to live life in the outdoors, away from the comforts that he had been used too. Alec had brought so much of himself into Maurice's life to help ease him into such a rough transition, that Maurice thought it to be only fitting that he pay his lover back by bringing a little bit of his own self for Alec's enjoyment.**

**As the skating lesson proceeded Maurice realized that teaching Alec how to ice skate was not as easy as he thought it was going to be. Maurice tried to get him to start out nice and slow, but the ****stubborn ,**** impulsive boy, who like in many aspects of his life, went forward with extreme confidence, only to fall hard on the ice. **

**Maurice laughed at Alec who scowled back at him.**

**The second attempt was slightly more successful. Alec, who was more cautious this time, held on to Maurice while following the instructions "1****,2,3****, glide, 1,2,3, glide." They made it half way down the lake, before Alec's overconfidence got the best of him ****again,**** and once more found himself hitting the ice and following it up with a loud cry of "Fuck."**

**The third time was a delightful success, as Alec who had followed Maurice's instruction more carefully, was finally able to skate on his own without much of a problem. **

**As the afternoon came Maurice and Alec were able to circle the small lake hand in hand; talking, and laughing. They moved together perfectly, just as they did with everything else in the life they shared: Perfectly.**

**Later that night, as they lay in bed; Alec fast asleep, his head buried in Maurice chest, Maurice reflected on his successful ice skating lesson with a sense of pride in himself, and in Alec. He stroked Alec's hair gently and listening to him breathe softly, while slowly coming to the conclusion that if winter ended, and if Alec was still sleeping soundly by his side, then he could honestly call himself the luckiest man in the whole world.**


End file.
